a. Field of Invention
This invention relates to ear blocking devices, and in particular, to semiautomatic blocking of a person's ears to attenuate sound in the ears.
b. Problems in the Art.
When one operates equipment which emits loud sounds, a user exposes himself to the danger of doing permanent damage to his ears. If the decibel level of a sound, even for short duration, exceeds a certain level, the mechanical pressure waves (which comprise the sound) can traumatize the tissues or bone structures of the human ear, and physically damage them.
In many instances it is therefore appropriate, if not necessary, to protect against potential for such damage. Some conventional attempts to diminish the level of sound which reaches the critical parts of the ears are the use of ear cups, ear coverings, or earplugs. In the case of ear cups, a head set with a head band is usually used to help mount and position the cups to the ears. The attempt is to seal the cups around the perimeter of the ear to deter the mechanical pressure waves from entering directly into the auditory canal and then on to the ear drum, or further into the fragile bones of the middle ear or the fragile components of the inner ear. The user must therefore take care to adjust the ear cups to achieve the best possible seal over the ears. Because of the size of the ear cups, this type of arrangement is somewhat cumbersome. It requires one or two hands to position the device on the head around the ears, as well as the manual removal of the device when unobstructed hearing is desired. It can also be difficult to carry or store conveniently.
Ear plugs are more convenient in the sense that they are usually small, and not as cumbersome as ear cups. They can be more easily transported, maneuvered, and stored. They still require, however, the user to manually place them in the ear to plug the auditory canal, again to stand in the way of the mechanical pressure waves of the loud noise from damaging parts of the ear. They also must be manually maneuvered in and out of the ears.
Many times, the operator of the equipment does not wear earplugs for various reasons. The user may forget to place the earplugs in the ears. Placing the earplugs in the ears may be time consuming as well as inconvenient for the user. For example, in skeet shooting, the skeet shooter may find it an inconvenience to repeatedly place earplugs in his ears when he is ready to shoot. The shooter may not want to spend the time and energy to plug up his ear. Therefore, he may rationalize that the earplugs are more trouble than they are worth, but prolonged exposure to loud noises may cause hearing loss or deafness. As such, the user may later regret not wearing his earplugs.
An additional example is the shooting of firearms during hunting. The excitement of the moment or the necessity of quick action may cause the user to neglect placing the earplugs in his ears. The hunter may not want to wear an earplug continuously during hunting because it is important for him to be able to listen for the telltale sign of the animal that he is hunting. When he spots his game, the hunter does not have time to place the earplugs in his ear. He must shoot immediately. This exposes the hunter's ear to discharge of the gun.
If the user continuously wears earplugs, the ability to communicate verbally is diminished. This can be significant, and even dangerous, in several situations.
There is therefore a real need for a device or system which improves over or solves the deficiencies and problems in the art. There is a need for a way to protect a user's ear which is more convenient than current methods. There is also a need for a system of protecting the user's ear which does not require complete reliance on the user to manually place the devices and remove the devices when desired.
Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of means and method of semiautomatically attenuating sound in the ears which improves over the state of the art.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a means and method as above described which automatically protects a user's ears whenever the user attempts to operate a device which produces loud sounds.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of means and method as above described which deters or prevents injury to the user's ears when the user operates a device which produces loud sounds.
Still another objective is the provision of means and method as above described which can be used in such a manner as to not unnecessarily interfere with the user or the operation of the user's equipment.
Still another objective is the provision of means and method as above described which is compact so as not to interfere with the wearing of head wear by the user.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a means and method as above described which prevents the user from directly exposing his/her ears to loud sounds, yet is inexpensive to manufacture, economical, durable, reliable, and easy to operate and maintain.
These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention.